NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Tim Cahill wants people to know what he stands for — even if he has to tell one person at a time.

The gubernatorial hopeful was hammered earlier this week with an all-out attack on his record as state treasurer and Quincy city councilor by the Republican Governors Association on behalf of GOP opponent Charles D. Baker Jr., former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health.

"It's a gross distortion of my record," said Cahill on Friday morning during an interview with "Charlie in the Morning" host Charles Schneitzlen at WJJW at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Two of the state's top elected officials — who also happen to be in contention for governor — will be speaking at the Massachusetts Mayors Association annual spring conference on Friday at Cranwell Resort in Lenox.

Gov. Deval Patrick and state Treasurer Timothy Cahill's separate talks will be closed to the press but we're guessing the Great Recession that's created historic deficits for towns and cities across the commonwealth will be the No. 1 topic. Patrick, a Democrat, and Cahill, who was a Democrat and is now running as an independent, will likely both be speaking to their strategies for increasing jobs and revenues as well as commenting on issues relative to their

Cahill is stumping for governor under the independent label rather than under the Democratic Party banner. He visited Pittsfield on Monday and took a tour of Soldier On, which constructing housing for veterans.

Cahill said he decided to run as an independent because he wanted to escape the labels of both the Democratic and Republican parties. He will stand a better chance of getting things done as an independent than either party can do on its own.

He's going after the 51 percent of voters who are independent; the same ones Republican Scott Brown went after in his

The cities of Pittsfield and North Adams will hold municipal elections for mayor, city council and school committee in 2015

You may vote absentee: if you will be absent from your town or city on election day, have a physical disability that prevents you from voting at the polls or cannot vote at the polls because to religious beliefs.